I couldn’t let this time go without sending a heartfelt happy birthday to our dear NHS on this 75th year anniversary.
I was born prematurely in 1965 at the British Hospital for Mothers and Babies. This was my first interaction with the institution that was to go on and on saving my life many times over.
As a child our wonderful NHS mended my broken bones and stitched my wounds, dealt with my nosebleeds and constant throat infections as well as removed my appendix.
As a teenager I volunteered on what was then called a Long Stay Geriatric Ward. I loved it. The nurses on the ward saw something in me and encouraged me to apply for nurse training. I said I couldn’t because I’d already left home and didn’t have any exams to my name. They were a bit shocked by this but it didn’t stop them encouraging me. Their persistence paid off and at 19 years old I started training as a nurse.
I was taught by dedicated medics about so many deeply interesting things. I became fascinated by how much the human body can take. I realised that even though I was young, my unconventional upbringing meant nothing much fazed me and I was happy to get stuck in no matter what. I was only on my second ward and in my first year when the Sister (Ward Manager in todays terms) took me into her office. She said she wanted me to sit with a dying patient so his wife could have a break. She explained she wouldn’t normally ask someone so early in their training to do this and I didn’t have to do it, but she thought I could. Well she was right. I held that man’s hand and also his wife’s as he slowly slipped from this world. It set up in me a passion to try and ensure people had a good death. I was also happy to do the last offices for any patients that had died. Some much more senior nurses didn’t like doing that and were astounded at my ability to do it. When I was 19 I looked like I was about 12 so that probably contributed to their amazement at how they saw me.
Sadly the NHS was also there for me when I had an accident while on a night shift that sadly ended my nursing career. I tried to stop a patient falling over and managed to hurt my back so badly that I ended up on traction for 6 weeks
Those great experiences proved to be very useful when I went back into the NHS several years later as a Hospital Chaplain. I was privileged to collect the tears of many patients and their families and visitors as well as the staff. I became an integral part of the emergency bleep, pioneering a scheme where the chaplain attended crash calls, not to help with the patient, but to look after any family members. Sometimes when the death was very traumatic maybe a child or young adult I would also do debriefs with the staff. They found this very useful.
I was also fortunate to train senior nurses and junior doctors in the art of breaking bad news. All these things show the NHS is responsive to change and puts value into the importance of pastoral care for patients and staff as well as communicating well at these tough times.
During my adult life there have been many amazing encounters with exceptional medics. One of them managed to do key hole surgery on me for a myomectomy. This procedure, to remove fibroids, was normally done with a big abdominal cut.
When I was diagnosed with the rare blood cancer Myelo Dysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in 2000 the NHS really stepped up a gear. The dedicated teams I’ve been under have been exceptional in their expertise and knowing when to do what and at the right time for me. I had a Stem Cell Transplant (SCT) in 2016 and I’ve needed more and more care from the NHS since developing Graft Verses Host Disease (GvHD) and various complications from all the high intensity treatment.
I have had sepsis innumerable times. Each time the NHS has helped me cheat death. I’ve had horrible side effects of no immunity by picking up nasty fungal lung infections, flu, pneumonia abscesses that I then needed surgery to fix the damage caused. A dedicated consultant who knows me well wasn’t due to see me on this particular clinic day but she saw me in the waiting room and told the new consultant to check me out properly as I didn’t look right. She was spot on. I had Superior Vena Cava Occlusion (SVCO). Once again the NHS stepped up to the plate and saved my life.
I am not blind to what is going on around me in the NHS. I may be hard of hearing but I want to say, I see and hear the staff around me and I observe the struggle to do more and more with a greater number of patients and less staff. You have my full support in the various industrial actions taking place by the different groups. The press bang on about the pay deals wanted, but I know it’s not just about pay even though you deserve more. I know it’s also about the unsafe conditions you are asked to work in at times. I know what hurts me, hurts you. So on this special 75 anniversary I want to say thanks for all you’ve done and continue to do. I’m an expensive patient. If I was in a country with private healthcare I’d be dead or bankrupt. I worry so much that we seem to be allowing privatisation by the back door. Healthcare should always be free. Any attempt to get people to pay for certain things will always disadvantage the poor in greater numbers as they often have more health needs.
My grandmother died when she was 23. My mum was only 2. My grandmother, Emily, lived in the East End. She died from a common old chest infection because she couldn’t afford to pay for medicines before the NHS came into being. I include her picture below as I don’t ever want to go back to a system where a young woman dies needlessly because of a lack of funds.
They say you never truly know the value of something until it’s gone. I hope we never have to find that out. Instead I want to say to all the amazing doctors, nurses and allied healthcare professionals, the cleaners and ward kitchen staff, the admin workers and the volunteers, keep up the good work. You are an incredible bunch of people and deserve to be paid your weight in gold. I can’t quite manage that but I give you a big golden smile sent with much admiration and respect. Thank you
